Chapter 62

On Monday morning, Liu Meng, as usual, didn't go to class. He went to the library and continued to study the Xitapan Conjecture, hoping to improve it or broaden its applicability.

In the world of academia, if you don't advance, you fall behind.

Moreover, after solving the Xitapan Conjecture, Liu Meng was completely immersed in the ocean of mathematics, experiencing unprecedented joy. Now, with nothing else to do, he mostly stayed in the library, studying mathematics, finding it increasingly interesting.

When thinking about problems, Liu Meng habitually turned off his phone or put it on silent, especially for such logical and mathematical problems that required deep concentration.

After a break, he turned on his phone and saw over a dozen missed calls and two messages, all from Li Xin. It seemed Li Xin had some urgent matter to discuss with him.

Without hesitation, Liu Meng called back. The phone was immediately answered, and Li Xin urgently asked, "Liu Meng, where are you? I couldn't get in touch with you, and I was so worried."

Liu Meng was puzzled, wondering why Li Xin was so anxious to find him. Before he could ask, Li Xin hurriedly said, "Where are you now? I'll come to find you right away."

Soon, Li Xin found Liu Meng in the library. The two stood side by side on the second-floor internal terrace. Li Xin complained, "You little guy, you really made me search for you."

"In the library, it's on silent. I didn't notice. Tutor, you're so busy, what's the urgent matter?" Liu Meng asked, puzzled.

"Tomorrow at noon, our department will hold a general student meeting to summarize the midterm exams and encourage everyone to study hard for the final exams. The department has decided to invite a student representative to speak, and Deputy Dean Chen directly chose you."

He paused and then added, "But it's well-deserved. When I first met you, I knew you weren't an ordinary person. Ha, I wasn't wrong."

At the end, Li Xin affectionately patted Liu Meng's shoulder to draw closer to him.

Li Xin's mind was a mix of emotions. He didn't expect Liu Meng to be so favored by Deputy Dean Chen and even praised by the mathematics department's big shot, Kong Jidao. How did this poor kid manage to get such high-level support so quickly?

He was secretly annoyed. Why didn't he get such a good opportunity? He had been working hard too.

He had already been directly admitted to the graduate program.

Despite his resentment, he was part of a small social circle and had his own thoughts. It was still appropriate to bend a little and make friends.

With this in mind, he didn't summon Liu Meng to his office as usual but came to find him personally.

Hearing this news, Liu Meng was both surprised and excited. No top student would refuse such an opportunity. It was an honor. He then asked, "What did I score in the midterm exams?"

Li Xin playfully hit him and laughed, "You haven't even checked your scores? You don't know, but the whole college is buzzing about it. Some first-place students from other departments are不服气 (unconvinced) and are determined to challenge you."

Liu Meng was truly puzzled. Ma Lao had already scored very high. Could he have scored even higher? Thinking about it, he felt a bit excited. What did he score, exactly?

Seeing that Liu Meng didn't seem to be faking it, Li Xin sighed. This guy was indeed not ordinary. He had achieved such good results but hadn't even checked them and was still studying alone in the library. His focus and mindset were far beyond those of a typical freshman.

This person was truly extraordinary. At this moment, Li Xin genuinely wanted to befriend Liu Meng.

To draw closer to him, Li Xin smiled, "You don't know, but because of your English essay, the English department even had a debate. In the end, it was Yang Yun who invited Nan Huairen to verify it. I read your essay too, but I couldn't understand it at all. It was too profound."

Listening to Li Xin's rambling, Liu Meng became curious about his final scores. He really wanted to check them immediately, but the person in front of him knew and wouldn't say.

"Engineering Mathematics Analysis, Linear Algebra, and English—all perfect scores!" Li Xin finally laughed and said, giving Liu Meng a thumbs up. "Impressive, really impressive!"

Liu Meng's mouth opened in surprise. This was indeed beyond his imagination. He was confident in the math subjects but didn't dare to hope for perfect scores. Perfect scores were too difficult.

As for English, he had a sudden inspiration at the end but didn't expect it to be recognized and appreciated by the teacher. He was grateful to Yang Yun, who, despite being somewhat self-important and strict, was also endearing.

"Looks like you forgot to eat because you were reading. Come, let's go out for a meal and discuss your speech for tomorrow." Li Xin warmly pulled Liu Meng out of the library and headed to the west gate to find a small restaurant for a drink.

Liu Meng couldn't refuse his tutor's enthusiasm.

The two chatted a lot.

Liu Meng also learned from Li Xin that Ma Lao was indeed the second place in the Electrical Engineering Department, Gu Pan was third, Guo Yu was within the top twenty, and Zheng Wen scored higher than Guo Yu. The most surprising was Liu Ruyi, who scored passing grades in all three core courses: 60 in both math subjects and 90 in English, not a single point wasted.

After the meal, Li Xin patted Liu Meng's shoulder and said earnestly, "Prepare your speech well for tomorrow. Show the spirit of our department's freshmen and let the other departments envy us. I won't keep you from your studies."

"Tutor, thank you for the meal and for coming to inform me personally. I'll treat you next time." Liu Meng was genuinely grateful to Li Xin.

"Don't call me tutor. I'm still a graduate student, not much older than you. Just call me Li Ge or senior. Don't be so formal." Li Xin replied, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Alright, senior, I'll go prepare my speech." Liu Meng returned to the library to start preparing his speech.

He had never spoken in such a large setting before. Back in the library, he began to think about what to say, but he couldn't come up with anything, feeling increasingly frustrated. He absentmindedly played with his phone, and a message came in.

"Wow, young man, I didn't know you were not only a good writer but also an excellent test-taker. Want to meet up? 508 Computer Lab!" Liu Ruyi sent a message.

Preparing the speech was more tiring than thinking about the Xitapan Conjecture. Liu Meng agreed to meet her, as she had mentioned it before but he had been too busy. If he didn't meet her this time, he was afraid she would get angry.

At the computer lab, he easily found Liu Ruyi. The girl still had a round face, and her new bangs made her look even cuter.

"Your new hairstyle looks great." Liu Meng started with a forced smile, trying to flatter her.

Liu Ruyi pouted and blew bubbles, making her bangs fly up. Her eyes glinted mischievously, "Did you put honey on your lips? So sweet. I feel like you've been avoiding me lately!"

"Not at all, I've just been busy with exams and tutoring. I need to support myself." Liu Meng quickly explained, seeing her unfriendly gaze.

"Hmph," the girl huffed, "You're a celebrity now, with perfect scores and first place. I thought you wouldn't bother with a slacker like me."

"I'm here, aren't I? Don't be so moody. I haven't done anything to upset you. I noticed you've been a bit irritable lately, so I'm being magnanimous." Liu Meng pinched her cute, round face.

Liu Ruyi frowned and raised an eyebrow, looking mischievous. She pointed to the emotional board on the screen, "That fat guy 'San Pao' has been quiet lately. Where do you think he's hiding?"

"I... I don't know." Liu Meng was a bit nervous.

"Actually, I'm the moderator of the emotional board. I can find out who each ID belongs to. You know the saying, 'Confess and be lenient, resist and be strict.'" Liu Ruyi's eyes were a bit scary, making Liu Meng feel uneasy.

"You can't be serious? Isn't the moderator just Lang?"

"That guy has been taken care of. He voluntarily transferred the management rights to me. Liu Meng, I feel we get along well, and I consider you a good friend. Shouldn't friends be honest with each other?" Liu Ruyi's eyes were still threatening.

What was going on? Liu Meng felt his heart racing under her gaze. He spread his hands and forced a smile, "It was just a random post online. Why take it so seriously, Miss Liu?"

"It's not a big deal, but it's about honesty and trust. I feel there's a mole in my circle, and I need to find them out." Liu Ruyi said seriously.

"Actually, that 'San Pao' is me. I wanted to confess to you before, but I got drunk and thought I had already told you." Liu Meng smiled faintly, deciding to be honest. Liu Ruyi's words were too pressing.

It was just a post, after all. He hoped Liu Ruyi wouldn't be too petty.

To his surprise, she admitted it so quickly, leaving her with a bunch of playful words unsaid. She was a bit annoyed and grabbed Liu Meng, saying fiercely, "You fatso..."

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